NASA Astronaut Group 9
NASA Astronaut Group 9 was announced on May 29, 1980, and completed their training by 1981. This group, composed of 19 candidates, was selected to supplement the 35 astronauts that had been selected in 1978, and marked the first time that non-Americans were trained as mission specialists with the selections of ESA astronauts Claude Nicollier and Wubbo Ockels. In keeping with the previous group, astronaut candidates were divided into pilots and mission specialists, with eight pilots, eleven mission specialists, and two international mission specialists within the group. Achievements As with the previous group, several spaceflight firsts were achieved, including: * First Costa-Rican astronaut: Franklin Chang-Diaz (January 12, 1986, STS-61-C) * First Dutch citizen in space: Wubbo Ockels (October 30, 1985, STS-61-A) * First Swiss astronaut: Claude Nicollier (July 31, 1992, STS-46) * First African-American Marine in space: Charles Bolden (January 12, 1986, STS-61-C) * First person to be launched into space more than six times: Jerry Ross (April 8, 2002, STS-110) * First astronaut spouse selected as an astronaut: William Fisher (August 27, 1985, STS-51-I; married to Anna Fisher, Group 8 astronaut) In addition, Chang-Diaz and Ross share the world record for the most spaceflights, with seven each. Bolden also became the second astronaut to serve as NASA Administrator, appointed in 2009. Group members Pilots *'John E. Blaha' (born 1942), U.S. Air Force (5 flights) :STS-29 - Pilot: Deployed TDRS-D :STS-33 - Pilot: Was a classified United States Department of Defense mission :STS-43 - Commander: Deployed TDRS-E :STS-58 - Commander: Spacelab: SLS-2 :STS-79 - Mission Specialist 4: Launched for long duration flight aboard Mir :Mir EO-22: Board Engineer 2 :STS-81 - Mission Specialist 4: Landed from long duration flight aboard Mir *'Charles F. Bolden, Jr.' (born 1946), U.S. Marine Corps (4 flights) - Current NASA Administrator :STS-61-C - Pilot: Deployed Ku-1 communications satellite :STS-31 - Pilot: Deployed the Hubble Space Telescope :STS-45 - Commander: ATLAS-1 :STS-60 - Commander: Spacehab 2 *'Roy D. Bridges, Jr.' (born 1943), U.S. Air Force (1 flight) :STS-51-F - Pilot: Spacelab 2 *'Guy S. Gardner' (born 1948), U.S. Air Force (2 flights) :STS-27 - Pilot: Was a classified United States Department of Defense mission :STS-35 - Pilot: ASTRO-1 *'Ronald J. Grabe' (born 1945), U.S. Air Force (4 flights) :STS-51-J - Pilot: Was a classified United States Department of Defense mission :STS-30 - Pilot: Deployed the Magellan probe :STS-42 - Commander: Spacelab: IML-1 :STS-57 - Commander: Spacehab *'Bryan D. O'Connor' (born 1946), U.S. Marine Corps (2 flights) - Current NASA Chief of Safety and Mission Assurance :STS-61-B - Pilot: Deployed 3 communication satellites :STS-40 - Commander: Spacelab: SLS-1 *'Richard N. Richards' (born 1946), U.S. Navy (4 flights) :STS-28 - Pilot: Was a classified United States Department of Defense mission :STS-41 - Commander: Deployed the Ulysses (spacecraft) :STS-50 - Commander: Spacelab: U.S. Microgravity Laboratory 1 :STS-64 - Commander: Lidar In-space Technology Experiment (LITE) *'Michael J. Smith' (1945-1986), U.S. Navy (1 flight) - Died During the ''Challenger'' Disaster :STS-51-L - Pilot: Planned to Deploy TDRS-B Mission Specialists *'James P. Bagian' (born 1952), U.S. Air Force (2 flights) :STS-29 - Mission Specialist 1: Deployed TDRS-D :STS-40 - Mission Specialist 1: Spacelab: SLS-1 *'Franklin Chang-Diaz' (born 1950), Physicist (7 flights) :STS-61-C - Mission Specialist 1: Deployed Ku-1 communications satellite :STS-34 - Mission Specialist 1: Deployed the Galileo probe :STS-46 - Mission Specialist 2: Deployed ESA’s European Retrievable Carrier and flew the Tethered Satellite System’s TSS-1 mission :STS-60 - Mission Specialist 3: Spacehab 2 :STS-75 - Mission Specialist 4/Payload Commander: The Tethered Satellite System’s TSS-1R mission :STS-91 - Mission Specialist 2: Final Shuttle/Mir mission :STS-111 - Mission Specialist 1: Installed the Mobile Base System for Canadarm2 on the ISS *'Mary L. Cleave' (born 1947), Engineer (2 flights) :STS-61-B - Mission Specialist 1: Deployed 3 communication satellites :STS-30 - Mission Specialist 2: Deployed the Magellan probe *'Bonnie J. Dunbar' (born 1949), Scientist (5 flights) :STS-61-A - Mission Specialist 1: Spacelab D1 :STS-32 - Mission Specialist 1: Deployed the SYNCOM IV-F5 satellite; retrieved the Long Duration Exposure Facility :STS-50 - Mission Specialist 1: Spacelab: U.S. Microgravity Laboratory 1 :STS-71 - Mission Specialist 3: First Shuttle/Mir docking :STS-89 - Mission Specialist 3: Eighth Shuttle/Mir docking *'William Frederick Fisher' (born 1946), Physician (1 flight) :STS-51-I - Mission Specialist 3: Deployed three communications satellites *'David C. Hilmers' (born 1950), Engineer (4 flights) :STS-51-J - Mission Specialist 1: Was a classified United States Department of Defense mission :STS-26 - Mission Specialist 3: Was the "Return-to-Flight" shuttle mission following the ''Challenger'' disaster; deployed TDRS-C :STS-36 - Mission Specialist 2: Was a classified United States Department of Defense mission :STS-42 - Mission Specialist 2: Spacelab: IML-1 *'David Leestma' (born 1949), U.S. Navy (3 flights) - Currently NASA Manager of JSC's Advanced Planning Office :STS-41-G - Mission Specialist 3: Deployed the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite :STS-28 - Mission Specialist 2: Was a classified United States Department of Defense mission :STS-45 - Mission Specialist 2: ATLAS-1 *'John M. Lounge' (1946-2011), U.S. Navy (3 flights) :STS-51-I - Mission Specialist 2: Deployed three communications satellites :STS-26 - Mission Specialist 1: Was the "Return-to-Flight" shuttle mission following the ''Challenger'' disaster; deployed TDRS-C :STS-35 - Mission Specialist 2: ASTRO-1 *'Jerry L. Ross' (born 1948), U.S. Air Force (7 flights) - Currently NASA Chief of JSC's Vehicle Integration Test Office :STS-61-B - Mission Specialist 2: Deployed 3 communication satellites :STS-27 - Mission Specialist 2: Was a classified United States Department of Defense mission :STS-37 - Mission Specialist 1: Launched the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory :STS-55 - Mission Specialist 1: Spacelab: D2 :STS-74 - Mission Specialist 2: Second Shuttle/Mir docking :STS-88 - Mission Specialist 1: First shuttle mission to the International Space Station; delivered Unity (Node 1) and the first two Pressurized Mating Adapters :STS-110 - Mission Specialist 1: Delivered the S0 Truss and the Mobile Transporter for Canadarm2 *'Sherwood C. Spring' (born 1944), U.S. Army (1 flight) :STS-61-B - Mission Specialist 3: Deployed 3 communication satellites *'Robert C. Springer' (born 1942), U.S. Marine Corps (2 flights) :STS-29 - Mission Specialist 3: Deployed TDRS-D :STS-38 - Mission Specialist 1: Was a classified United States Department of Defense mission International Mission Specialists *'Claude Nicollier' (born 1944), Swiss Air Force (4 flights) :STS-46 - Mission Specialist 3: Deployed ESA’s European Retrievable Carrier and flew the Tethered Satellite System’s TSS-1 mission :STS-61 - Mission Specialist 3: Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission 1 :STS-75 - Mission Specialist 3: The Tethered Satellite System’s TSS-1R mission :STS-103 - Mission Specialist 5: Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission 3A *'Wubbo Ockels' (1946-2014), Physicist (1 flight) :STS-61-A - Payload Specialist 3: Spacelab: D1 See also * Astronaut * List of astronauts by name * List of astronauts by selection * List of space travelers by name * List of space travelers by nationality * NASA Astronaut Groups References External links *Astronaut Biographies: Home Page Category:NASA Astronaut Corps Category:Lists of astronauts